Gator Bites
‘Gator Bites’ gives an authentic, inside look into Lamar State College Orange, dedicated to elevating Gator voices, spotlighting campus life, and fostering meaningful conversations that connect, inform, and inspire the Gator community. Through engaging interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and real talk about college life, we aim to build a stronger, more connected campus culture.
Gator Bites
S1: E24 | 16 Weeks to a Career: Inside LSCO's Operator Academy
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In this episode of Gator Bites, we explore the Operator Academy at Lamar State College Orange, a fast-paced, hands-on training program designed to prepare students for careers in the petrochemical and industrial workforce. Host Daniel McLemore sits down with instructor Tony Bramlett and recent graduate Caeden Arceneaux to discuss how the 16-week academy works, the importance of safety and technical training, and the role industry partnerships play in shaping workforce programs. From lab simulations and real-world equipment to career readiness and confidence building, this conversation highlights how LSCO is helping meet one of the region’s most critical workforce needs.
About Lamar State College Orange:
Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) is a two-year, state-supported institution located on the banks of the Sabine River in Orange, Texas. As part of the Texas State University System, LSCO is committed to transforming lives and communities through the continual pursuit of academic, professional, and personal excellence. Serving more than 5,500 students, the College offers associate degrees and certificates in academic, technical, and workforce fields, providing new and unique opportunities for growth and success. With a focus on accessibility, affordability, and innovation, LSCO serves a diverse student population, including a high percentage of first-generation college students. Through strong community partnerships, dedicated faculty and staff, and innovative student support services, LSCO is the bridge connecting those it serves to a bright, Orange future.
Hello everyone and welcome back to Gator Bite, the official podcast of Lamar State College Orange, where we interview faculty, staff, and students to give the community an inside look into life here at LSCO. So today we're talking about a program that's really helping meet one of the most critical workforce needs in Southeast Texas, and that's the demand for skilled operators in our local plants and industrial facilities. So the Operator Academy at Lamar State College Orange is it's designed to give students the foundational knowledge and hands-on experience they need to step confidently into careers in the petrochemical and industrial workforce. So joining us today are the people who are making this program possible. Number one is Tony Bramblett, he's one of our instructors, and we also have a recent graduate with us of the program, Caden Arsenault, and we'll talk about how the program works, what students can expect, and then why this type of training is so important for our future region. So to begin, uh can each of you introduce yourselves and share your role with the Operator Academy here at Lamar State College, George?
SPEAKER_02Uh my name's Caden Arsenaux. Uh I've recently just graduated with the uh certificate in process operating. Um my professor was Tony Bramblett, and I am currently uh, I don't believe I am the president anymore, uh, just simply due to me being so busy right now with work. But I was the president for the semester that I was in the academy, um, as well as I think we were the first group to do this as well. Yeah, we're the first cohort. Yeah, yeah. First group. So that's all for me.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and Tony Bramblett, I am the instructor at the Process Academy. Uh I have uh this will be uh this semester, I'll complete my fifth year instructing. Uh I love being around the young people. I also prior to this had 47 years experience at Valero and Port Arthur on process units.
SPEAKER_03Oh, so you're just a spring chicken. You hadn't been around much. Oh, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01It uh time passes, just keep waking up.
SPEAKER_03So for our listeners who may not be familiar with it, what exactly is the Operator Academy and what was the need that led to this creation of this program?
SPEAKER_01There was a request made uh that two and a half years, two to two and a half years is a long time to complete the full 60-hour degree program on process technology. So I was asked along with uh our chair, Mr. Ramsey, is it possible for us to put a program together in 16 weeks that covers every bit of the PTEC in-house classes and still meets all the NAPTA requirements. We are a NAPTA certified program. So we sat down and we crunched the numbers and everything and found out it was possible. But instead of going two and a half hours a day, instead of going uh uh an hour and a half a day, it actually to be a complete 16-week program is eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, eight to five. Uh we even uh do not take the whole spring break or fall break. I think we took three days this last semester. So it's pretty intensive. Uh in the morning, in the first four hours, we will cover one topic, and in the second four hours, we switch books and go to another topic. But it's uh it's real interesting. It is, and what it will do is it is possible if anyone has any hours of college, we also have at the completion of this, you'll receive a certificate. But we have you will have another 30 hours of academic classes to complete. Just example, speech, intro to physics, intro to chemistry, you'll have a co-op class, but you have these classes on the academic side to complete, which are all offered online. So after this 16 weeks, which is um actually goes by a lot quicker than you think.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But after the completion of this 16 weeks, you are ready to roll right in to taking these other classes at whatever rate you can take them online. Uh just looking at it, I think there's uh we're gonna have students that a year to a year and a half, they're through. So they actually cut almost a full year or a full year plus off of the classes, which gets them the full 60 hours of P Tech, and uh they're ready at that point to uh step right in and begin the interview process.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's just kind of front loading the the experiential side of things and getting the getting the the the classroom stuff that that you need to go into that process tech side, right? That's correct. Uh but it it's not negating the fact that you know we still need those uh soft skills and the other courses that that make up an associate's degree, but you can get those then at your own time and your own pace on the back end of this program, right? That's correct.
SPEAKER_02So I happen to be lucky enough that uh I actually had most of my basics done. Uh I had already done, I think, two years of college prior to the academy, and just kind of decided, you know, I want to pursue operating. And they had y'all had opened up this academy, and it was the first time that it opened up, and I was able to get my associate's degree in basically a semester because I got the certificate and now I have 60 hours. So now I'm working with a lot more options if I want to pursue more school or I can just go straight into work. Yeah. So it was a really good opportunity for me.
SPEAKER_03And so you and I have known each other for a while. And I yeah, I remember I actually caught you in the parking lot leaving one day and and you're talking about I was like, Hey, are you coming back? And you said, Yeah. And I said, Well, what are you doing? And when you're starting to talk to me about it, I said, Well, we literally just got out of a meeting talking about this operator academy. Uh, and and it it sparks interest. People consider it because it's uh the the fact that it could be done so quick a lot of times.
SPEAKER_02It I I think it does require uh, you know, you have to have time on your hands because I mean it is it's intensive, like Bramblett said, it's uh it's eight hours a day, Monday through Friday. So, and and at times you you're gonna want to fall asleep or you're gonna get bored or whatever. He don't let you though, does he? No, no, he'll slap you. He'll slap you.
SPEAKER_03So, yeah, and and I I think that's important too. I think that there's a a lot of um a lot of wisdom in getting this stuff done together instead of spreading it out and waiting sometimes because you you know, even from the beginning of a program to the end of it, you may lose something that's foundational that you forgot, but this almost doesn't give you the chance to, right? No, yeah. So, how does this program really balance classroom instruction with like the the hands-on learning experiences?
SPEAKER_01Through the course of this program, um through the through the full 16 weeks, we also have 16 labs. These labs, you're gonna learn to draw a process unit, you're gonna learn to read PNIDs, PFDs, isometric drawings. We cover all these. Was that English or was that that was in English, right? Yes. Okay. Isometric drawing. Then what you'll do at the completion as you roll on through this, we also have a glass distillation column. We're gonna run that. We also have hot one, which is uh a pump strainer. Actually, hot one's kind of interesting. There's over 65 items on Hot One that are real life items that are in a refinery and a chemical plant. So we can go touch every one of them and we're gonna run hot one. We also have hot one in the distillation program, or the distillation program goes to one computer. The hot one actually goes to a DCS. So we're gonna run it on a distributive control system, which is pretty real life as to what you have in the industry. In addition to that, we have the hot three unit, which we will run that. Uh we plan on running all three of them at least three times between now and the end of the semester. The front half, you kind of load it with drawings and how to read this stuff, and you go through safety, you go through a lot of other things before you get into the process, uh, actual process operations, and that's when we go out and do some of these. So uh we even uh went out there and everybody had to show me they knew how to use a pipe wrench. They broke some pipe apart, put it back together. Uh, what are channel locks for? Identifying a bunch of the tools. What is a hammer wrench? What is a spud wrench? Uh so we go through a lot of tool identification. So uh we try our best. At first, it's kind of heavy loading in the classroom, and as it picks up about now, we're about a little over halfway through. Now we're gonna have more and more outside and more and more activities.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And so you just mentioned it a little bit, but safety is always a major priority, right? Um, especially in these industrial settings. So, how does the Operator Academy emphasize safety training and then prepare students to work responsibly in these high-risk environments?
SPEAKER_01Well, basically, safety is everything. You can make all the money in the world. If you can't perform safely, if you can't handle emergencies safely, you and your company will not have a job and will not have a facility. You have to work safely. And our obligations in management are the same as they are as an instructor here. We want to send people home in the same healthy physical condition, just a little tired, but we want to send them home safe every day, and we want to give them the knowledge and something that is real big that we never emphasize enough: the confidence.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01The confidence that you can go out there and learn and you can get this down. Because when you have a severe emergency, you have certain steps you have to take. Usually the first five steps will turn an event from emergency to a normal procedure. Yeah. And you must know these first five steps. You do not have time to go out there and trace and look at lines, so we emphasize that you got to get out there. Everything you do this day in time requires paperwork.
SPEAKER_03Lots of it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it is unbelievable the amount of procedures, the amount of guidelines, the amount of checklists, the amount of audits, and everything revolves around safety and equipment, as far as vibration probes, as far as emergency shutdown, ESDs, everything is geared around safety and protecting the environment, the people, and the community.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And that's something that they learn really before even going into the training and the hands-on side of it, too, right? That's the front-loaded piece of this course.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Even to do a lot of the work that we do and the labs, you're required to have a defined heel on your shoe. You're required to wear safety glasses. You're required to wear a hard hat. You're required to wear gloves. We talk about pinch points, how to climb a ladder, the four-to-one rule on how to set a ladder as far as your height versus the width away from the base on your floor. We emphasize all these things. Safety is uh, and it's something you can carry home. And you should end up getting to a point to where everyone is a safety representative. And when you turn around and look at somebody, oh, be careful. No, don't do it that way. You lean out, you're supposed to have harness on. We should be self-auditing everybody around us because our goal is everybody to go home safe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it's a big part, and you can't ever forget about it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, 100%. So, Caden, what really motivated you to enroll in this operator academy?
SPEAKER_02Honestly, just the speed at which I could finish my degree. Um, that was the initial reason. And I got into the class and was like, you know, and just going through it. And then I was like, oh, Mr. Bramblett's actually kind of cool. And uh he has a lot of stories to tell. I think around week two, I was starting to actually enjoy the things that we were doing and talking about. The more I got into it, I realized I really liked it. And also having Mr. Bramblett as a professor or a teacher for all of these courses kind of it allows you to have kind of, hey, this is where we're at, this is where we're at. And you learn the entire thing from start to end, never missing any pockets of information because he knows exactly what he taught told you, taught you. And you would, I would, you know, meet the other professors in the uh workforce program, and it's just they would teach me stuff that Bramlett had already told me. And then I kind of understood that okay, if I do separate classes, I'll be learning those specific things, but having a teacher that just goes with you from start to finish, it's so much better. And it allowed me to learn a lot faster, I would say.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So what's been one of the most valuable things that you've kind of taken away from this program so far?
SPEAKER_02Um pay attention to detail. There's a lot of things that would seem like common sense that aren't all the time common sense. I think that's the easiest way to put it. Um just like using the right wrench, like using the wrong wrench can damage equipment, and then it's like, well, I have this wrench in my hand right now. I'm just gonna turn this thing and it'll work. And then it's like you can, but it's always not the best decision, you know, because then you have to go fix that equipment, then you have to shut down a part of the unit unit to get that thing isolated, all this kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, makes sense. So, why is it important for colleges like LSCO to really work closely with industry partners when designing training programs like this? Because this is one that you know, this this came to us, and somebody said, Hey, we need this, so why is it important for us to listen to that?
SPEAKER_01Well, I've always felt like we have two customers. Every student that walks on this campus is our customer. How we treat them, how they learn, how they feel about Lamar when they leave his campus is very, very critical. But if we don't turn out a product that industry is interest interested in, if the industry, and we do meet once a month and get feedback from industry, what they're looking for, uh shortcomings they see on new hires, and we take every comment that they have very seriously as a group. We all sit and talk about it. I mean, what is going on? How can we incorporate some of their concerns into what we're doing? And basically, we just want to make sure when they walk out of here that we're proud of them, they're proud of where they went to school, and industry is grateful to have them. So we must work with industry.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's everybody in industry.
SPEAKER_03Well, and uh, you know, our our hot three unit was was donated to us too. Actually, that that is correct. Uh that that's something that our industry is always looking to us and saying, well, we want them to be trained on the things that exist right here in our plants. And so they're willing to invest in us, and so that that means that we're willing to invest right back in the students and back into the workforce that we're we're creating.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and that's so correct. And everything we have is expensive, all of it costs money. Even some of the simple coolant tire models, the exchanger models, these things cost a lot of money. And any help from industry, uh, I mean, we're very, very grateful for that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So looking ahead, what really excites you most about the future of the operator academy, and this is kind of for both of you, too.
SPEAKER_01What is good about the operating academy is kind of emphasize what's already been said. It's kind of nice to get to know these young people. Yeah. Well, and I love young people. And every one of them are different, every one of them have their ideas, but it's good to find out what the younger generation's actually thinking. And quite honestly, despite what some people may feel, there's a lot of good folks out there. There's a lot of real good young people. A lot of them are just hungry for information. A lot of them have been misled about what industry's about, what life's about, and everything. And we talk about life too. I'll answer any of the questions to the best of my ability that they have. I mean, nobody really thinks about diet, uh, what you're gonna eat. Well, I could eat chili dogs and jalapeno peppers at three in the morning on graveyard. Some people can't eat anything at night. Their system will not. So there's a lot of things, but common sense, your your five senses, use them. You don't have to be a genius to be an operator. You have to be a good communicator, you have to have self-confidence. Yeah, you have to realize I can go out there, I can do this job, I can learn this job. I don't have to be huge and bulked up. I can be small and frail, I can be a lady, I can be a man. It really does not matter. Everyone can do this job. It requires you to be able to think about a process. It requires you to say, hey, they're challenging me with this unit on troubleshooting what do I do first? Well, you take pictures, you take date, or you take notes. After all this is collected, then start making some moves. Little moves, little mistakes. Big moves, big mistakes. You start making adjustments. Does it get better? Oh wow, look at this. It's great, it's lined up. Does it get worse? Oh, go back where you were, let it settle out, and go the other direction. So the importance of the academy is in order to get an employment and get on, I tell my students there's four ways. One of them, if your dad owns the facility, that'll help you get on. The second thing is honorably discharged veteran. The third thing to get in is 10 years operating experience or have your two and a half year P Tech degree. The last time there's been several people posted jobs for 20 or 30 and had 7,000 applicants online in 16 hours. How do you get from that large group? How do you get down to a group that can be interviewed? Oh, we can't naturally interview 7,000 people. You need this this P Tech degree, you need this, or you need the 10 years experience to get into the interview. That's what's real critical. And all the academy does is it's really, and this may lead into something else you're thinking about, but if you uh just got out of the military, I don't really know what I'm gonna do. Uh military veterans, we love to have them. They come in, take our program, and they can take it in 16 weeks. The chances are they already have some of the other education programs, so it could be possible for them in one year to be and have a double notch, be an honorably discharged veteran, have your PTEC degree. Recent high school graduates, we just got out of high school. Um I was busy with extracurricular activities, I didn't take any of the dual credit classes. You can come in in 18 weeks before you actually get started with your uh with your future and with a job anywhere, you come right in and take this. Um if you're in a gap and for some reason uh work's just slowed down, uh I'm 35 years old, I'm tired of climbing and building scaffolds all my life, I'm tired of climbing 180 feet in the air. I'd much rather write a permit and point somebody to go do it. And I would like to have a career change. Well, you come in here in a shorter period of time, we can get you jump started into the PTEC degrees. And there are a lot of people that just uh I've had people from just about every field you could imagine. I've had police officers in in the classes. So there's a lot of people, and I can't give them advice. I don't know what I'm gonna be when I grow up. So everyone has to find that niche. We can go in here and I can tell them about all types of experience. I can go through how the process works, how the system works, and maybe spur a little interest. But the academy gives them a jump start on this. A lot of people, as I said in the beginning, don't have two and a half or three years. Uh, they feel like they need to do it pretty quick. And changing things in our area, there's there's gonna be a constant uh changeover people. Not as big as in some areas of the country, but uh there's gonna be jobs and there's gonna be stuff. It's a very competitive business, and everything you can get toward here with a degree, with some little experience, the better. Rolf you're gonna be.
SPEAKER_02And aren't we uh we're napta certified as well, and I believe that puts us out as quote unquote better um preferred. Yeah, preferred over some of the other programs. Uh Bramble, if you want to go into that with the uh NAPTA stuff, the certification.
SPEAKER_01It is. It was uh I hope I'm speaking right for Mr. Ramsey, but it was almost a year's work.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh this is one of the programs where you send them 500 pictures and they send you a back request for a hundred more. You send them a copy of an example test in every one of our programs, and they send you a note back saying we need a little more. Yeah, so it's NAPTA has a real good idea of exactly what we're teaching, how we're grading, what our tests look like, all the equipment that we have. Uh and it is uh, I would say among uh four people, uh myself, Mr. Ramsey, uh, Mr. Gotrow, and Mr. Demas, uh, every one of us had a part in it of collecting all this data. So it's something we all are real proud of and uh real sensitive about. So we're we're real pleased with the NATO program.
SPEAKER_03Well, that's just a that's a huge quality stamp of approval, right? That's when somebody comes in and says, hey, these guys are doing it right. That's cool. And and that's something that a lot of times people they'll hear the term like, oh, it's an accredited program. Okay, well what does that really mean? Well, it means that a a group that that creates these standards says, this is what means uh quality. This is what quality looks like if this program is doing it. And so that's one of those things that we we get to hang our hats on a lot of times. So it's a it's a highly accredited program, it's highly sought after. Um, and and it's just it's something that is incredibly important to to be aware of when you're starting a c a program like this. That is correct. Uh Caden, what uh what would you tell somebody that's on the fence about maybe considering this program? What would you tell them to to convince them?
SPEAKER_02Considering the program at this college or just considering altogether? Here, yeah. Okay. Um I would I mean, it's 16 weeks. That's I mean, in reality, how much is 16 weeks? Um, yes, okay, you have to do your financial aid and get everything prepped and ready if you need that. But it's a 16-week course. You add a certification to your degree, um, it's 30 hours of college in one semester. Um so I mean, it's a quick way of getting to an associates, but also it's just a quick way of getting a great field of work. I mean, if you if you're not sure you want to be a process operator, I think that's something you need to look into further as well. But I think this certification will probably help you figure that out. It's short, you know, and you learn a lot. Uh I mean, there's so many things that you deal with in your daily life that you would not realize actually has something to do with what process operators do. Um, like I learned about plumbing and stuff like that, and how it's not that's not you know what you think about when you think about a process operator. You think about like all these pipes and steel a concrete jungle, basically. But uh, there's a lot of things in the city that like we have um check valves for our water systems for everywhere, because bad stuff can get in the water if we don't have that. Like stuff like that I learned. Um, so even if I was to never become a process operator, I'm still grateful that I took this uh certification, this program, because I've just learned a lot.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I love it. Well, thank you guys for joining us. Um, this Operator Academy is a really great example of how LSEO continues to respond to the needs of our community and create opportunities for students to build meaningful careers right here in Southeast Texas. So if you're interested in learning more about the Operator Academy or any other hands-on training programs here at Lamar State College Orange, visit our website, lsco.edu, or reach out to our advising team and they can help you out. So be sure to keep up with the latest Gator Bytes podcast episodes on the LSCO website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to bringing you another conversation soon.